I am new to ham radio. I have a yaesu 857d, I am useing this as my base station. I live on the third floor of an apartment building. I have access to a balcony.I am thinking of buying ,from arrow antenna,the arrow || 146-4BP.Any one use this antenna,or one like it?any help would be great,thanks 73.

If you buy the 146-4BP don't forget to buy a mast mounting bracket; it doesn't come with one.

I own one of these, intending to use it for portable/camping operations. It's "okay." It's not a great beam. Those who believe it is have likely never used a different, better beam alongside this one for comparison.

In your situation, I'd probably not opt for a beam at all and believe a good 2m omnidirectional vertical antenna for FM work is a better choice. Several reasons for this:

-A beam *must* be rotated, and frequently, unless you're always working the same station or the same repeater. As such, to prevent going nuts, you'd want to mount this on a mast, with a rotator -- so there's a lot more involved than just the beam.

-In a balcony installation, probably half the directions you could aim will be directly back into your home, where radiation will be severely blocked; as such, that direction (or those directions) are essentially wasted.

-There are good omnidirectional vertical antennas for 2m having nearly as much gain as the 146-4BP has in its most favored direction, and they're easier to install and don't require any rotation. The Hustler G6-144 is a good example of one.

What a great opportunity to roll your own. VHF antennas can be as complex or as simple as you want. They are also great for beginners because they are small and easy to handle. I am not knocking Arrow (they make really good products) but the satisfaction from talking on equipment you made yourself is really nice. Below are some sites I have used for reference and a list of antennas I have used and worked well.

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